![]() ![]() We also reported ads for these apps on platforms where we found them. Google has responded and removed some of the apps we found, and Apple has acknowledged our input on the apps though no action has been taken at this time. Some we were investigating were pulled from the store before we could report them. We have reported the apps we found to Google and Apple. All of the apps were offered as free (with little or no mention of subscriptions required to unlock basic functionality), had aggressive monetization tactics, and came with default subscription rates that were in many cases not in line with the functionality they provided. While OpenAI offers an API for GPT and ChatGPT to developers at a rate that amounts to about $0.06 US for every 750 words of output, and has offered a $20-a-month “pro” subscription to the latest ChatGPT (which guarantees availability during peak usage and provides early access to new functionality), the basic functionality of ChatGPT is available freely to users through OpenAI’s website. The prime characteristics that make an app “fleeceware” are charging for functionality that is already free elsewhere, and the use of social engineering or coercive features to get users to sign up for a subscription to generate regular cash flow, as opposed to paying a one-time charge. Using a combination of advertising within and outside of the app stores and fake reviews that game the rating systems of the stores, the developers of these misleading apps are able to lure unsuspecting device users into downloading them, often with “free trial” versions that then kick in automatic recurring subscription fees that users may not know are coming, or prompt them to buy subscription to “pro” versions that promise greater functionality but fail to deliver. As a result, there’s little financial incentive for Apple or Google to remove them despite their near-zero functionality and abuse of stores’ reviews systems to artificially boost their credibility. And these apps not only generate cash for the underhanded developers, but also enrich the platform owners through their cuts of app store sales-in the case of Apple, that’s 30% in the first year and 15% from the second year. In addition to repeated prompts to subscribe users, ranging from $9.99 to $69.99 on the apps, they also use tactics such as tightly limiting app usage and functionality without a subscription.īecause fleeceware applications are designed to stay on the edge of Apple and Google terms of service and do not access private information or attempt to circumvent platform security, they are rarely rejected during review and are allowed into the app stores. Since then we have seen fleeceware evolve to circumvent those policies. New app store policies were intended to curb this for example, developers have to be upfront about their subscription fees, and have to allow users to cancel free trials before incurring any charges. When we first wrote about fleeceware back in 2020, some of these apps were charging more than $200 per month. They use intrusive advertising and other features to make the free version barely useable and to push the user toward the subscription.īoth Apple and Google have store guidelines intended to prevent app fraud, and these guidelines have evolved in response to earlier generations of fleeceware. ![]() They push the user toward enrolling in a short free trial that converts to a high recurring subscription charge to rake in money from unsuspecting users.Their functionality is available for free through either the mobile OS itself or other sources online.Hoping to cash in on curiosity about ChatGPT, we’ve seen a spike in mobile apps claiming connection to the AI platform that fall into a category we refer to as “fleeceware,” apps that have behaviors similar to these: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the large-language-model-powered artificial intelligence application, has dominated technology media coverage and permeated popular culture. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |